BP attack in Algeria 'linked to French military deployment in Mali'

With France mounting military operations against Islamists in Mali, it is "too
much of a coincidence" that al-Qaeda linked militants have killed a
Briton and kidnapped 40 others at an oil facility in neighbouring Algeria,
according to the Telegraph's Diplomatic Correspondent.

Algeria's official APS news agency cited provincial officials for news of the death, which came after an early morning attack by Islamists.

The militants say they are holding an seven Americans and an unspecified number of British, Japanese and French amongst other nationalities, a spokesman is cited as saying by two Mauritanian news agencies - Agence Nouakchott information and Sahara Medias. A security source quoted by Algeria's El Watan newspaper quoted the same figure.

"It seems much too much of a coincidence that this attack on the BP facility would just happen anyway, although it is true that jihadist and Islamist groups in Mali and Algeria have been threatening to attack French interests for some time," says Alex Spillius.